Friday, June 27, 2014

On June 28, 236 years ago, the Battle of Monmouth was fought. Our men
were dropping like flies from the unbearable heat. Famous heroine,
Molly Pitcher, stepped in to help her husband and many more. What
historians failed to tell us was that there were two seventh graders
from Miss Wickware's class, from the twenty-first century there also -
helping. Weird, huh?

In honor of the anniversary of the Battle of
Monmouth, Flash to the Past is free for only a few days!

Monday, June 23, 2014

Anthony
Griggs is a dreamer bound to discover that the world behind his eyes
is as much reality as when he is awake. Having survived an abusive
childhood, escapism is all he had until his fiancée, Audrey, became
his tether to the world. Unsure of himself he withdraws into the
realm of his imagination. That is until he saves a coma patient in
his dream. Anthony soon learns that the world isn’t as 3
dimensional as he once believed when the veil of reality is drawn
before his eyes. The coma patient is a direct link to Anthony’s
heritage and it befalls him to use his ability to protect an unborn
child as darker forces seek to prevent his birth. The child is the
new vessel for Hope and the world’s quiet salvation or its complete
undoing. Anthony delves into a world of gods and entities…demons
and Jinn learning the hidden mythologies of life. He must rediscover
who he is and learn what sacrifices he’s willing to make. Will he
choose Audrey for the life he’s dreamed of? Or will he choose the
Hope of mankind?

Drifted Plains…

There
he sat on his boat. Waves rippled beneath nudging it constantly.
His lure bobbed up and down against the glassy surface of the lake.
Fish rarely bit for Anthony on Lake Superior, or maybe they just
decided not to come out during his presence. He thought somehow the
schools banded together and held a grudge against him. A constant
joke he held with himself. It didn’t matter. The serenity he felt
when he was out on the water was all he needed. It allowed his mind
to wander. It allowed him to drift into the deepest realms of his
artistic imagination. He imagined the water as an endless canvas and
the sky as the heavens painting a portrait along its surface. His
drawing pad was never too far from him. He rested the fishing rod
along the right side of the boat. It was one of those small wooden
boats, kind of weathered, tattered from time. It had definitely seen
its best days. It often put Anthony in the mind of a Mark
Twain
novel when Tom
Sawyer and
Huck
Finn cast
off on their adventures. That’s what these moments were to him, an
endless adventure into the world he creates around him.

Anthony
reached into his leather bag and pulled out his sketch book. He
began to etch the brush on the shore onto a fresh white sheet of
paper. He grazed his pencil lightly against the paper. Each stroke
created a scene. Things he’d seen before in dreams and mixtures of
the reality around him. He bit the back of his number 2 HB pencil
and grinned to himself. It was a mixture of things really. The
recollections of dreams and the constant criticisms he’d become
accustomed to by others telling him he’s nothing but a dreamer.
Anthony daydreamed a lot. He was always lost in the fictional greats
tales of fantasy and adventure, mystery and intrigue. Greats like
C.S.
Lewis,
J.R.R.
Tolkien,
Stephen
King,
J.D.
Salinger,
and even Dean
Koontz;
Writers that drew him in and allowed him to find his inner talents.
He was also quite fond of comic books. He even sketched his own in
between portraits of vast landscapes or what he considered beautiful
people.

As
a child, Anthony always felt the need for an escape. An escape
anywhere as long as it wasn’t in the presence of his drunken mother
or abusive father. At first it was the tale of The
Catcher in the Rye
around the time he was eleven. That book gave the world levels of
depth and meaning to him. Then The
Hobbit took
him to a world that time had forgotten. The books kept him company
at night under the covers with a pocket flash light. He read them
over and over again to drown out the sounds of his parents arguing.
When they finally divorced it was right after he’d turned twelve.
He had a choice to make, a mother so lost down the bottom of a bottle
she had no concept of the life passing her by outside of it. Or a
father that was twice his size and weight that would much rather use
him as a live target rather than venting his frustrations on a
punching bag or doing bench presses. Anthony didn’t favor the
sting of closed fists sending vibrations through his frail body, so
he chose the drunkard. When he thought of it, his parents weren’t
anything to him; at least he was a dreamer. It was his imagination
that kept him sane. It was his own characters that had become his
closest friends.

He
was drawn from his trance when he noticed the skies darkening above
him. The absence of rolling thunder didn’t make it seem angry, but
still, there could be some light showers. Anthony tucked his pad
into his case and pulled the line in from the water. He thought of
how he would be teased by Audrey for going out on the water and still
managing not to bring back so much as a tire or an old boot. The
lure resisted his pull and for once he thought he’d got something.
He figured it was a good batch of worms because this resistance was
strong, something large and hungry. He laughed aloud and sat back
trying to shift his leverage on the rod.

“Audrey won’t
believe this!”
he thought to himself.

It seemed for a
time, she was the only person that understood him. They met in art
school their freshman year and had an instant connection. She wasn’t
put off by his horrible childhood that eventually led to his early
escape toward “freedom”. She didn’t look at him with
judgmental eyes for his laid back demeanor. Most people just thought
of him as lazy, but for some reason Audrey got it. She knew there
was something more to him, especially his resilience to withstand his
troubles and still turn out half way decent.

Anthony
leaned toward the edge of his boat to try to get a look at what was
trying to steal his bait. He couldn’t see anything at first. Just
the ripples on the top of the water that the lure created as it
motioned up and down. He looked closer into the darkness that
encircled the boat beneath. The dark void below reminded him of a
scene right out of Moby
Dick. A
scene where the whale attacked from the bottom with its mouth wide
open, it was funny that would cross his mind. That would be
impossible here for a killer sperm whale to attack. Then a bright
light consumed it. It was pure but not blinding. It was fantastic
to him actually. He’d just drawn a scene like this days ago. The
boat rocked as if hands lifted from beneath it and began pushing from
side to side. It threw him off balance. Water splashed onto the
deck slapping the calf of his goulashes. He slipped back into his
seat banging his arm. The line to his rod flew out of the water and
swung wildly into the boat. Anthony watched it as it landed. The
bait was there still intact. Instantly he sat up and grabbed the
oars trying to row away from the current that was trying to hold him
captive. The further out he got the light had spread beneath him.
He stopped when he heard the calls. Someone was pleading for mercy
not to be drug under by the pull of the lake. He could hear water
splashing wildly. There were sounds of gurgling and then he saw it.
An elderly man in a hospital gown was drowning. It was like instinct
took over. Anthony instantly rowed out to save him. The boat
wouldn’t row against the current. It was being drawn back in the
opposite direction. Anthony never considered himself to be a hero by
a long shot. In his dreams he may become whatever warrior the
setting suggests. In his dreams he embodies his comic book
characters. He wished he had the strength to be one of them now.
But he wasn’t going to let this helpless man suffer any longer.
Anthony snatched his coat off and tossed it behind him in the boat.
His heart was racing but it didn’t stop him from spearheading into
the cold watery surface under the boat. He shivered as he sprang up
gasping for air. He checked to the left and right of him to see if
the old man was still within his reach. He put his legs together and
lifted his arms above his head to dive. As his body attempted to
pierce the surface again he found himself sliding toward the edge of
a cliff. The red dirt like clay suggested the Grand Canyon. That
wasn’t possible. He looked around. The climate had changed. The
heat was smoldering. Cactus patches trailed throughout what looked
to be the dried lands of a desert.

Anthony
was on his knees surveying himself. His hands were scuffed from the
collision with this hardened surface. Yet he still had his goulashes
on and his water pants. His thermal shirt was stained by the red
dirt. Behind him, his boat was buried nose first into the dirt. The
ores were scattered along the sides of it. His leather case was
propped up on the hill of dirt where the nose of the boat was
penetrating. Ahead of him was the edge of the cliff where he heard
screams of terror. Dust kicked up into his eyes and then he saw a
bronze toned hand clinging to the side of it gradually sliding losing
grip.

“HOLD ON!!!”
Anthony yelled out. “JUST HOLD ON!! DON’T YOU FALL!” he
gasped climbing to his feet. “I’m comin’…” he called out
reassuringly, but finding it hard to get a decent stride going whilst
wearing his heavy boots.

Anthony struggled,
wondering if he should shake those cumbersome boots from his feet,
but considering the urgency of the situation and caution prevailing,
did not commit to that notion. Reflexively, he stretched forward
sliding to the edge to grab his hand.

“Hold on, I’ve
got you.” His mind was reeling with this encounter. It was so
surreal, one minute he’s on the water of Lake Superior, the next
he’s hanging over the Grand Canyon.

He finally looked
down at the man. The man’s eyes looked very weary. His face was
weathered by the harshness of time. His skin was soft though, not
fragile, but soft. He was well groomed, well taken care of. It was
clear he was a fighter. He was not ready to give up on life just
yet.

“I hate to ask
this at such a delicate moment but, do you have any idea how we got
here?” He was grunting from exertion whilst trying to hold up the
man’s weight and keep from sliding off the cliff himself.

The old man laughed
as if he were no longer in immediate danger. He laughed as if it
were the funniest thing he’d heard in a long time. “Thank you…”
he mustered between laughs. “Thank you for breaking my fall.”
Tears filled his eyes. Anthony didn’t understand the joke nor was
he aware that he’d told one. “Now let go. I’ll be fine now.”

“No…” Anthony
resisted.

The man shook his
head, “I’ve been here for what seemed like an eternity.”

“You were just in
the water outside my boat. I don’t know how we got here! Now come
on, I can’t let you fall, I couldn’t live with myself.” Anthony
pleaded

“You have to let
go… If you fall trying to pull me up, you won’t awaken if you
hit the bottom.”

Anthony’s neck
jerked back, “What?”

The man laughed and
forced his hand free. Anthony was flung upward by his own resistance
trying to pull him to safety. He didn’t see anything. He couldn’t
hear the sounds of screams as the man fell. The atmosphere began to
spin around his head making him dizzy.

“NO!!!” He
shouted leaning forward to see if the man had fallen. He was unaware
of how much room he had between the cliff and the wide open space.
He slipped over the edge in a freefall. The wind suctioned his face
drawing his skin back in the fall. His heart fluttered in panic. As
he turned his arm swung out and connected with something. It was
something soft.

Anthony’s
fist relaxed and flattened into a palm on the surface of his
mattress, he rubbed it feeling the fabric of the fitted sheet. He
jumped when he felt Audrey’s hand touch his chest.

“You’re
soaked…” she said in a light groggy voice.

Anthony
sat forward with his tee shirt clinging to his body. He had
perspired heavily. He was still trying to convince himself he was
only dreaming. Only, it didn’t feel like any dream he’d ever
had. He was usually aware of when he was in a dreaming state. But
not this time, “Bad dream… Uh, I guess…”

“You guess?”
Audrey sat up alongside Anthony.

“It’s nothing…”
He cupped her hand between his palms. “Just go back to sleep. I’m
going to get some water.” Anthony spread the comforter back and
eased out of the bed. “I may do some edits to my comics. And
besides, I’d better go back to my designs, make sure they’re just
right. I have a lot riding on my grade in class.”

“Okay…” Audrey
laid back on her pillow. “And change that shirt, you’re
drenched.”

Anthony
waved her off and headed down to the kitchen. He was doing well with
his freelance art work outside of school. He’d gotten a couple of
businesses to buy into his work. He had a deal he was pursuing with
a rising comic book company as well. He was doing well enough to
afford a two story apartment. Not bad for a lazy dreamer. It was
just this dream that had him rattled. His thoughts were clear as if
he were actually sitting on the lake fishing. He could really feel
the weight of that old man. His hands were scratched when he looked
down at them. That was equally as strange in his mind. They
throbbed. The mind is a powerful thing as he’s often been told
throughout the years. Was the dream that intense? Anthony reached
into the cupboard to grab a glass. He turned on the faucet and let
the water run until it was cold. The remote control to the
television was on the counter. He grabbed it as his glass filled
with water.

“Okay, what’s on
television at 1:30 in the morning?” He often spoke to himself. He
figured as long as he didn’t answer his own questions he wasn’t
crazy. To answer would entail a conversation.

He turned the
monitor on and let the water flow down his throat. He could feel it
course through his body replenishing him. There was breaking news of
a miracle, an awakening of sorts. A man that had been hospitalized
for several years in a comma thought not to ever wake up had done
just that. Anthony looked closer and dropped his glass. His mouth
hung agape. It was the man in his dream. It was reported that his
vitals were stable and he was well enough to speak. He was fully
aware of his surroundings and becoming reacquainted with his family.
When asked how it felt to recover his response was,

“The… There
are re… Real angels out there…”
A tear rolled down his cheek. “I
was in darkness for a long time. I was barely hanging on, I felt
myself slipping. And my angel reached out and pulled me in.”
Who looked to be his wife wiped the tear from his eye and kissed
him. He inched his head around and Anthony could almost feel they
were making direct eye contact. “I
want to thank you… Thank you for allowing me to see my
grandchildren. They’ve grown so much and I can’t recognize them.
But at least I will have a few more years.”

Then he lipped
something into the camera, it looked like he was saying Anthony’s
name. Anthony’s knees were weak. He backed up and leaned against
the counter top. He’d just seen this man in his dream. Was he
really an angel in someone’s dream? This was too much, quite
possibly a coincidence but there was no way he could convince himself
of that. Besides, Anthony didn’t believe in coincidence.

Anthony
regained his balance and stepped forward right down into a shard of
glass where his cup had shattered on the floor. He yelped in pain at
the sensation of the sharp glass piercing the bottom of his foot. He
lifted his leg and slipped back on the river like puddle of water now
beneath his feet. Anthony could have blamed it on the water but he
never was much for balance, not physically anyway. There was a time
he’d tried martial arts classes, but the movements in the system
were too technical for him. He was more of an observer. Anthony
liked to watch physical sports but that was the extent of it, he
never wanted to participate. Usually when a person suffers abuse at
a young age they grow violent, they become attracted to danger and
physical activity, not Anthony he was the opposite. His comic books
were fantasies tied heavily into mythology. They were full of the
great warriors and heroes he wished to be. But his nature wouldn’t
allow it. His only sense of adventure is taking long drives and
camping in the wilderness to observe nature. That’s what inspired
him aside from his library of fiction novels. He especially liked
his long trips to Lake Superior to fish. There, in his mind,
anything could happen as far as imagination could carry on. Would he
actually let an innocent person drown? Most likely he wouldn’t.
But it sure as hell wouldn’t have been as extravagant as his dream
made it seem. He probably would have panicked when he first hit the
water. His mind was in a zone as he tried to pull that glass from
his foot. It was the idea of pain that was worse than the actual
feeling itself. He imagined blood squirting everywhere once he’d
have gotten it out like a gory horror movie; especially given the
fact that the glass was deeply embedded in the sole of his foot.

He
finally gathered the courage to pull it out and hobbled to the
bathroom to clean up the wound. He chuckled to himself. There was
no blood spray. It only hurt after he’d taken it out anyway. The
pain was sharp, but it didn’t feel like death. Now imagine if he
was stabbed or even nicked in a mugging, his reaction would be the
real scene. Every time his father would hit him and his little body
would stumble all over the place his father would tell him,

“Stop acting you
little faggot! I hardly even hit you… Always the actor…” he’d
laugh contemplating on whether or not he was going to strike again.
He usually didn’t if Anthony put on a good enough show for him.
“The way you drain our pockets, we should make money off you!”
that was usually said followed by a very loud thud after he slammed
the door.

Anthony reached into
the cabinet for the ointment and band aids. He thought of his father
just then. He’d picked up a habit or two since his divorce from
his mother. It was the combination of heavier smoking with some
drinking. Now he’s got cancer. Anthony M. Griggs Sr. He hated
being a junior. Especially with the idea of who his father is. He
thought it was rather ironic that his father couldn’t handle his
mothers’ drinking, but turned into an alcoholic himself. Maybe it
was karma. Now when he senses the end is near, he wants to have a
relationship with Anthony. He’s known to have a big heart, a
forgiving heart, but not toward his father. But that’s common tale
amongst men. He wondered as he applied the ointment if he’d even
miss his father once he passed. Or would he go to the hospital as he
reached the final stages of his transition and ask him,

“Who’s the
faggot now?”

He
had a lot of gripes against the man. But he’s been doing well
enough not to let it rule his life.

Anthony
stood from the edge of the tub and began to place everything back
into the cabinet. He turned the sink on to wash his hands but found
himself staring at the parts he hated most about himself. He looked
into his deep brown eyes. How they were just like his fathers. His
eyes always spoke out to him as if they were searching for a purpose
in his life. He looked at the coarse wooly hair atop his head and
mildly thick eyebrows just below the scar over his left eye. That
was one of the last wounds he got from his father. A vicious right
hand sent him head first into the frame of the bedroom door. His
lips were evenly thick. He rubbed the stubble of his forever five o’
clock shadow. It was like looking at his face to tell time, no
matter how he shaved it was always five o’ clock. His ears even
had a slight point to them like his father. He was a spitting image
except for the weight difference. But there was a time his father
had a nice build. Anthony not being athletic or into fitness at all
just had a natural physique. He did a push up or two just to get his
mind to jog looking for the next idea. He thought to himself, even
if his father passed in his sleep tonight, he’d never be rid of
him. His father’s face always reminded him of his nothingness. He
also thought that maybe if his father died, his face would take on an
identity of its own. He ran his hands under the water simultaneously
lathering them with soap. He bent down and splashed water into his
face and rose up to look at himself. In the mirror Anthony saw the
old man in his dream. Or was it his dream? The man said he was in
darkness for a long time until his angel reached down to pull him up.

“So that means I
was in there, in his mind.” Anthony said to himself. “It was
real.”

He hobbled out of
the bathroom in a rush to get back to the television but a late night
dating game was on. He’d missed the old man. He flipped through
stations trying to find anyone else covering the breaking news but
the fascination was over for now.

“I have to wait
until the afternoon sometime after class to try to catch the news.
Damn it!” he thought out loud.

-Just who are you
old man?

Inception
(Neuralian Chronicles: The Siede) is now available on amazon.com in
Kindle Edition and Paperback.

Brandon
J. Hall currently lives in Detroit, MI. With his first novel,
Reflections—The Chronicles of a Man Scorned, behind him he is set
to move forward in a new genre. This will mark his first outing in
the realm of fantasy with Neuralian Chronicles—The Siede. His
passion has always been for the genre from his early childhood when
he was given a copy of Homer’s The
Iliad from his sister. From
then he’d always looked ahead to creating his own mythology that
stood as unique as the likes of Tolkien, George R. R. Martin, Neil
Gaiman and Stephen King.

Neuralian
Chronicles—The Siede is a bold and imaginative work that dares to
create a mythology all its own. It does what so many others of the
genre have attempted with abandon when speaking to the relation of
spirituality and the inner workings of mankind. It speaks to the
mysteries of mankind and what makes us unique to the species. It
peels back the layers of the world taking time, space, and the
quantum mechanics of it and seemingly bridges it all together while
telling a gripping story blending themes of a modern setting with the
archaic.

The
Siede will give you adventure, mythology/religion, fantasy, drama,
love and the supernatural unlike any tale spun before it. It’s a
story of heart, sacrifice, and the inner workings of the human
essence. It draws back the curtain to reveal the network of greater
elements at play that manipulate the flow of the world we’re
unaware of that drive us to different paths. Volume I of The Siede,
the introduction to the Neuralian Chronicles, is designed to spin a
genre so highly coveted in a new direction.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Celebrate the Summer Solstice!
Summer Solstice Publishing celebrates the Summer Solstice, June 21, 2014, with a giveaway of books. 24 authors – 38 books! And bling with some of those books. We all love that beautiful bling.
First, we would love to offer you a free download of our cookbook here: http://solsticepublishing.com/celebrate-summer-solstice/

Just who are these authors? We’ll let you know in groups, and give you breaks with another video, some music, and a Rafflecopter link to get in to the drawing.
Our first group of authors:
Jessica Tornese E.B. Sullivan
Linked Through Time Christmas Guardian Angel
Lost Through Time
K.C. Sprayberry P.A. Estelle
Softly Say Goodbye Her Cracked Heart
Where U @ At What Price
Who Am I? Hike Up Devil’s Mountain
Michael Thal Marie Lavender
The Abduction of Joshua Bloom Upon Your Return
The Legend of Koolura
Koolura and the Mystery at Camp Saddleback
Geraldine Solon Rebecca Frencl
Love Letters Ribbons of Moonlight
Chocolicious
Marelee Lowder Crackerberries
The Gold Bluff Deception Blackhorse 2015
Mary H. Collins W.H. Matlack
Nadia’s House Waiting to Run
Noir Town
Reagan Werner Peter N. Bernfeld
Red Wing Eliezer’s Journey
Elle Marlow Angela Burke
Pour Me Lucidity
One Hundred Horses Beneath the Mayan Moon
Mysty McPartland Olivia Gracey
Plundering the Treasure The Allow Factor
Her Faithless Prince
Chrystal Vaughan Janice Clark
Dead in the Water Hall of Doors 1
Kiss Carson Mary Filmer
Come the Blue Moon Mary Sumeridge Beginnings
Fairview Mary Sumeridge and The Golden Locket
Vic Nikitin Rebecca Stevenson
Hijack Another Summer
What a fabulous collection of books, and they can be all yours. All you have to do is click on the Rafflecopter link below. Each entry you complete gives you 5 points. This drawing is only for 24 hours – so enter now. The winner will be contacted as soon as we get the info.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Elizabeth McMurphy is an up
and coming high powered attorney and is after vengeance, involving one of the
richest and most powerful families in Colorado.
Steve York is an obnoxious reporter that thinks the ice queen has gone too far
and does all he can to get under her skin.

When one of the worst
blizzards in history, hits CO and leaves a hurt Steve York, stranded with Elizabeth in a mountain
cabin, will she must decide to either take care of him, or throw him out to
fend for himself.

Excerpt

“What’s
going on here? Where the hell are my pants?”

Elizabeth
practically jumped out of her skin. Steve stood in the bedroom doorway, wearing
only some tight fitting pink sweats.

“I found you after your car went nose to nose
with a tree.” She crossed her arms. “The question is, what were you doing up here ina snowstorm? Were you coming up here
to spy on me?”

“Jesus, my head hurts.” Steve groaned and sat at the kitchen table. “And don’t
flatter yourself.” He brought up his hands to rub his eyes and push on his
temples. He started to say something when a giggle and a round of
undistinguishable sounds caught his attention. Steve stared at the little girl,
a whisper of a smile on his pale face. “You have a daughter?”

She chose to ignore the question. “Again, Mr. York, you were headed…where?”

“I was going to see some friends in Granby,
then on to Steamboat to spend the holidays with my family.”

“You figured on taking a short cut on Badger
Springs Road?”

“Basically,” he muttered. “I had a phone in my pants pocket…” Steve looked down
at the pink sweats. “Yours, I presume?” At her nod, he asked with a smirk, “And
you’re the one that took my clothes off?”

“Junior, my neighbor.”

“If you’ll allow me to use your phone, I’ll call Triple A and get myself and my
car out of your life.” He reached over to Katy and she latched onto his finger,
the brightest smile ever illuminating her sweet face.

Elizabeth
quickly picked her up, as if he would contaminate her by his touch.
“Phones are out.”

Can an angel survive Hell on Wheels?
When Kit Calhoun leaves New York City with a train car full of
foundlings from the Immigrant Children’s Home, she has no clue she
might end up as adoptive mother to four of them in rip-roaring
Cheyenne, Wyoming. Kit has spent her life in the Children’s Home
and now she rides the Orphan Trains, distributing homeless children
to the young nation’s farmers as fast as the rails are laid.

The first time handsome Patrick Kelley
spies Kit in Julesburg, Colorado Territory, he wants her. But
circumstances, and a spectral-looking demented gambler as well as
Kit’s certainty no one in his right mind would want her
cobbled-together family, conspire to keep them apart. As Patrick and
Kit and her brood ride Hell on Wheels into their destiny, they’re
all forced to leave behind everything they knew and forge new lives
in the raw American West.

Excerpt:

Cheyenne, Dakota Territory, January
1868

Panic bloomed, threatening to choke Kit
as she gasped for breath. Where could she be, the small girl brought
all the way out to the wilds of Wyoming from New York City? So
certain she could make the best decisions for the little
golden-haired girl, Kit had gone against her own upbringing as well
as the stern advice of those older and wiser in order to make this
journey west. Now here was her little family plunked down in the raw
boomtown of Cheyenne, and she had lost not only her own direction but
also the child entrusted to her care.

Where could Hannah be? Where?

The streets slimy with melting snow and
horse manure, Kit struggled to keep her footing as she ran
frantically up one and down another, screaming Hannah’s name.
Unable to think where to look next, at last she stood helplessly
wringing her hands. Tears made slow, cold tracks down her face.

A door opened behind her, and a voice
full of concern said, “Kit. As luck would have it, I was just
coming to look for you.”

And wouldn’t you know it? The voice
of the very man who seemed to turn up at every instance of her bad
luck. Indeed, he might be the root cause of her ill luck ever since
she left New York City. And to think he had once promised to be her
salvation, did Patrick Kelley of the dancing Irish green eyes.

But what were his true intentions as he
took hold of her arm? To save her? Or to be her final ruination, as
she suspected?

“Let me go.” She tried to wrench
her arm away. “Hannah is missing. She’s lost. I must find her!”

“Ah, leannán, don’t take on
so,” he said in a soft, cajoling voice. “Hannah is safe and
sound. I have her.”

Kit’s bones suddenly felt soft, as if
they had turned to mush, and her knees started to sag. Ah, God, and
wasn’t her luck running true? Patrick Kelley, the very man! Of all
the places in Cheyenne that Hannah might take refuge, of course it
would turn out to be with saloon-keeper, and the means of the erosion
of many a young woman’s morals, Patrick Kelley.

“Come inside, please, Kit,” he
insisted, tugging her arm. Her feet were frozen inside boots soaked
with street muck. She felt herself weakening toward him, the warmth
and light of him, and of the place behind him, beckoning seductively
to her.

She had come so far, all the while
thinking she knew what she was doing. Most of a year had passed since
setting out. She had followed a path on a journey of more than two
thousand miles, a path of righteousness that she thought would answer
all eventualities.

And then her path, and the paths of the
children, crossed Patrick Kelley’s.

Now once more she must break down and
choose between her lofty principles and a future tied to Patrick
Kelley. And she found, to her utter consternation as she stared into
eyes the color of shamrocks, she…still…couldn’t… decide.

Western history has been the great
interest of my adult life. I've lived in Wyoming, Colorado, and
Oregon. Although an amateur historian, I am happiest researching
different times and places in the historical West. And while staying
true to history, I try not to let the facts overwhelm my stories.
Story always comes first in my novels, and plot arises from the
relationships between my characters. I'm always open to reader
response to my writing.

Thanks everybody for stopping by! Althea and I are doing a swap today. Stop by her blog, http://www.actuallyalethea.blogspot.com/ and hear about my story, Revenge, The Cowboy Way. One commenter will win a PDF copy of my story!

Friday, June 13, 2014

A high school track
star is abducted by aliens, explores strange worlds,
uncovers genocide on a planetary scale, and is thrust into extraterrestrial
politics that decides the fate of an Earth on the brink of war or unification.

The Abduction of Joshua Bloom tells the story of a teen abduction by an alien race who justifies their act in an attempt to save
their people. Joshua finds himself in a world dominated by women, and men are
subjugated to their whims. He travels to a dinosaur world, visits a water planet,
and a world doomed by a star about to nova.

Excerpt:

(Here is where Joshua first realizes he’s being abducted by aliens.)

I
shook my head. “No! You’re full of it!” I pointed at the screen displaying the
Earth-moon system. “It’s either a great snapshot or a live feed from a
satellite. I’m outta here.”

As I bolted away from the screen,
Peda, The Zombie, and Marina blocked my way. Anita stood on the sidelines
wide-eyed.

I tried to push through, but Zombie
tapped my chest knocking me to the floor.

As he stood over me, his biceps
bulged.

Lela
ordered, “Grab his shoes and take off his shirt and pants. He won’t be needing
them where he’s going.”

“You can’t do this. I have my
rights.” I had stumbled into a nest of some B-movie Hollywood freaks and I was
their plaything.

Zombie held my arms as Marina ripped
the shirt from my back. Peda grabbed the shoes from my thrashing legs.

Zombie
slammed my body to the floor.

“Ouch!
Cut that out. My dad will sue you.” He held my hands in one large paw and
skinny ankles with the other.

Michael Thal is a freelance writer and author in Los Angeles, CA.
Thal began his career in public education. Due to a severe hearing loss, he
left his tenured sixth grade teaching assignment to learn the writing craft.
Since 2001 he has written over 80 articles for magazines like Highlights For Children, Fun for Kidz, Writer’s
Digest, and San Diego Family
Magazine. He also has an active column about parenting and education in the
Internet newspaper, the Los Angeles Examiner (http://www.examiner.com/academic-success-in-los-angeles/michael-thal).
His novels include Goodbye Tchaikovsky (the
story of a deaf violinist), The Legend of
Koolura (a tale about a girl with extraordinary psychic powers hunted by a
mad man), Koolura and the Mystery at Camp
Saddleback (Koolura is back in a new adventure at a sleep away camp where
she loses her powers and needs to uncover a prankster), and The Abduction of Joshua Bloom (The story
of a teen abducted by aliens). All of his books are available on Amazon. You
can learn more about this author at http://www.michaelthal.com or e-mail him at michaelthal@sbcglobal.net.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Thanks,
Penny, for having me as your guest. Like most authors, I love my job
and can’t wait to get started each day. Writing is hard work, but
our characters won’t let us stop. Ooh, sounds like we’re nuts,
doesn’t it? Well, in a way we are. But we use our crazy powers for
good—mostly.

I
love Happily Ever After endings for books. Plot ideas come from
everywhere. Something in a newspaper, magazine, or television may
spark a “but what if?” idea. Each of us hears stories that should
have a different ending. One such was the kernel of Pearl Parker’s
life in THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE. For instance, my grandmother’s
brief anecdote about a girl in the Tennessee village where she was
born prompted me to imagine a happier life for the young woman.
That’s what authors do, we imagine life as we’d like to see it in
contemporary times or as we wish it happened in historic times.

My
characters—as is true with many authors—appear to me in the
inciting incident as if I were watching a scene on television. That’s
the good part. The hard part comes in fleshing out the characters
with backgrounds, goals, motivation, and throwing up obstacles that
hinder their achieving the happily-ever-after we expect from a
romance.

How
many variations to a hunky western hero are there? How many
incarnations of a feisty, strong heroine can you imagine? And how
many ways can one insert Tab A into Slot B? As you can imagine, the
more books an author has written, the greater the challenge of
creating a fresh twist on basic story plots.

For
my sensual western historical release, GABE
KINCAID, I believe I
achieved an enticing mix of characters and situations that readers
will enjoy. This hunky hero, Gabe Kincaid, has reason to despise lies
and those who tell them. Instead of the usual cowboy or rancher in a
western historical, Gabe is a lawyer in the small town of Kincaid
Springs, Texas. The year is 1887.

Heroine
Kathryn Elizabeth “Katie” Worthington walked in on a murder and
is on the run from the two powerful killers who want her dead. Where
can she go? Katie doesn’t want to endanger her friends so she sets
off on her own to find a hiding place. At the edge of town, a circus
presents the perfect solution. As Dorothy Duncan, she washes dishes
and mends costumes for two years—safe from prying eyes. Later, as
fortuneteller Maharani Shimza, Katie’s outlandish costume keeps her
anonymity. But her plans go awry in a big way. You knew that was
coming, didn’t you?

Writing
about a circus that’s come to a small town kept me smiling. I loved
researching circuses of the time (1887) and changing an uptight young
lawyer’s outlook. Gabe really needed to lighten up. Katie tried to
fit into circus life, tough for a proper young woman from a wealthy
background. No, those are not the plot obstacles. Takes more than
that to weave an interesting plot, doesn’t it? Throw in a trio of
hormone-laden farm boys, said couple of killers after Katie, and a
second psycho creating havoc in the circus and you have the basic
idea.

Here’s
a brief excerpt of their first kiss in GABE
KINCAID to tease you:

She
pressed her hand against his arm. “Don’t, Gabe. It’s such a
nice afternoon. Don’t spoil it by prying.”

“All
right. But I wish you’d trust me with all your secrets, Shimza. I
feel like a fool calling you that, but I don’t even know your real
name.”

“Shimza
will do. And I do trust you to keep me safe here.”

“But
you don’t think I could if you told me more, is that it?” He
gently clasped her shoulders and turned her to face him.

Slowly
he slid his hands across her shoulders, lightly up her neck. He
caressed her cheeks with his thumbs while he rested his hands gently
on either side of her face. “Then let’s make it a little more
complicated.” He leaned forward and claimed her lips.

She
dissolved against him. His gentle kiss increased in fervor. Her arms
slid around him and her fingers weaved into his hair.

His
hands slid across her back. Stroking. Touching. Hugging. One of his
strong hands skimmed her ribs beneath her breast. Brazenly, she
wished he’d move higher where she ached to be touched. As it was,
the heat of his touch near burned through her clothing.

He
broke their embrace, his chest heaving. “I’ve never kissed a
client. Grandpa will have my hide.”

She
rested her head against his powerful shoulder. “Mmm, I don’t
think so. Perhaps you noticed we were seated next to one another at
dinner. I could be wrong, but I think the Judge and Mrs. Kincaid are
conspiring. Judge Kincaid smiled when we left the dining room
together.”

“You
don’t say? Then, if it’s all right with you, I’m kissing you
again.”

And
he did. Not that she was an expert, but her verdict was he kissed
very well indeed.GABE
KINCAID
is available in print from Amazonand
in e-book at Kindle,
Nook,
Kobo,
Google
Books,
and from iBooks and iPhone.

About
the Author

Caroline
Clemmons is an Amazon bestselling author of historical and
contemporary western romances whose books have garnered numerous
awards. Her latest release is GABE
KINCAID,
book four of her popular Kincaid series. A frequent speaker at
conferences and seminars, she has taught workshops on
characterization, point of view, and layering a novel.

Caroline
is a member of Romance Writers of America, Yellow Rose Romance
Writers, From The Heart Romance Writers, and Hearts Through History
Romance Writers. Her latest publications include the acclaimed
historical Men of Stone Mountain series: BRAZOS BRIDE, HIGH STAKES
BRIDE, and BLUEBONNET BRIDE and the audio books of BRAZOS BRIDE and
HIGH STAKES BRIDE.

Caroline
and her husband live in the heart of Texas cowboy country with their
menagerie of rescued pets. When she’s not indulging her passion for
writing, Caroline enjoys reading, travel, antiquing, genealogy,
painting, and getting together with friends.

For the "Young At Heart"

Below are stories for the older crowd. Historical western romances, contemporary romances, and a paranormal romance! There is also a family drama and a non-fiction on my experience with solar. Just keep scrolling down!

The Sheriff and the Miner's Daughter

Charlene arrives in Jubilee Springs with several mail order brides coming to meet their prospective husbands. When Charlene asks Jim Hawkins, the local sheriff, the whereabouts of Amos Lehman, he thinks she is a gold digger. He claims he is trying to to keep her from ruining her life by marrying a man twice her age, but when it becomes clear Amos is her father, his interest takes a different turn.

Chase's Story

Book 10 of Grandma's Wedding Quilts

Mail Order Bride - Wanted

Hannah, Bride of Iowa, Book 29 of the historic American Mail Order Bride Series

Gabe, The Thornton Trilogy, Book 1

Gabe Thornton inherits the Double Bar Ranch from good friend and neighbor Bill (Pappy) Thomas, but there are conditions. Last Will and Testament states five hundred acres have been set aside for his only niece, or interested heirs. Molly Blackburn, who knows nothing about cattle ranching, shows up to claim her inheritance. Sparks fly! Will she give up her land or will she find more than just a cattle ranch in Bastrop?

The Ornament

Twelve years ago Jim Rustle packed up and left his home in Idaho and hasn’t looked back. He gets quite an awakening when Lisa Parker, whom he hadn’t seen in all those years, breaks into a business meeting and uses some colorful adjectives to tell him just what she thinks of him. Sparks fly between the two when he decides to follow Lisa home and sees what has happened in his absence. Is the anger stemming from the present, or from the past? It’s Christmas time. Can an ornament from years past help heal betrayals that have festered for years?

Revenge, The Cowboy Way

This is a story of love, hate, and revenge. The question is, whose revenge is it?

Jesse's Find

In the middle of nowhere, Jesse Mason finds a horse, a woman and an infant. The horse is dead and the woman has been shot. Why would somebody shoot a woman with a baby? More to the point, were they still looking for her?

Jesse's Nightmare - Book Two of the Jesse Series

The snow continues to pound the Kansas plains in late March. Something is ripping apart the livestock and animals and Jesse comes home to find his wife and daughter are missing!

Jesse's Heartbreak

Jesse and Ginny Mason’s world is shattered when Amanda Hill comes to Abilene, Kansas to try and take three-year old Sarah away from them. Little Sarah’s father died before she was born and his family wants the girl to come to Pennsylvania and live with them, and they have the all the money and expertise they need to make that happen! The Hill’s can offer the little girl prominence and station in life, while all Jesse and Ginny have to give is their complete devotion. Which will the Judge choose – money or love?

Justice Comes To Saline

Black smoke billows and a whistle blares, as the steam engine pulls into Salina, Kansas, delivering the town’s new school teacher, Victoria Stone. The people of Salina are caring and do all they can to make Victoria feel welcome and her students are finding their way into her heart. Then there’s the town’s sheriff, Jim Timmons, who is getting under her skin and turning every emotion she has inside out. But the truth is, Salina didn’t pick Victoria – She picked the town of Salina. And in her bag, Victoria isn’t toting books and school supplies. There is a score to settle in Salina, Kansas, and nothing or nobody is going to deter her from putting things right.

WESTERN ROMANCES

DO YOU ENJOY HISTORICAL WESTERN ROMANCES?The Pioneer Hearts Facebook group is a wonderful place for historical western romance authors and readers to discuss their favorite stories, recipes and photos. Join the group at www.facebook.com/groups/pioneerhearts.

Blame It On The Cherry

Julie Reed and Will Parker are soul mates. All through their high school years they talked about and planned their future together. It only took one night to destroy all they had. Julie won’t listen and moves away. Was it Will that ruined their future, or did Julie not love him enough? When Will finds her again will she give him another chance or will his deception stay buried deep inside her heart?

Her Cracked Heart

A second chance for love with a ready-made family is at Stephanie Warren’s fingertips, but ghosts of the past have a strong hold. Will she turn her back on happiness or can somebody break through her shell and help heal her cracked heart?

At What Price

What will a grandmother do to protect the ones she loves?

The Unwanted Christmas Guest

Elizabeth McMurphy is an up and coming high powered attorney and is after vengence, involving one of the richest and most powerful families in Colorado. Steve York is an obnoxious reporter that thinks the ice queen has gone too far and does all he can to get under her skin. When one of the worst blizzards in history, hits CO and leaves a hurt Steve York, stranded with Elizabeth in a mountain cabin, will she must decide to either take care of him, or throw him out to fend for himself.

Dugan's Creek

A devastated Heather Stone is headed to her sister's house for some TLC after her boyfriend of 3 years breaks up with her. "I need space. There is no sizzle in our relationship!" As if things weren't bad enough, her car dies on a lonely stretch of highway and she starts walking. She's hot, thirsty, and her feet are getting blisters. A sign says Dugan's Creek. She finds soothing cold, rushing water.....and so much more! This story is NOT for the kids!

Solar - One Family's Reality

It was going to cost $100,000 to bring electricity to our property line. We decided it was a no-brainer to go green. This is our story of our trip down Solar Lane. The pros and cons, and facts and fallacies!

Fox Tots Publishing

For the "Young"

Below are books for the beginning reader to the middle grade readers. Fairy tales to fantasy to time travel adventures! I have stories for the kiddos in your lives! Just keep scrolling down!

For the Early Readers

A delightful American tale about five-year old Ethan who is in Ms. Johnson’s Kindergarten class. He is new to the school and has not made any friends. Ethan and Timmy, a boy in his class, get in a fight over a soccer ball and both boys are sent to talk to the principal, Mr. Glumb. There are stories about this principal – scary stories! Are they true? Ethan and Timmy are about to find out!

A Story For Beginning and Young Readers

Sammy Bear goes on a search for his lost tail. He meets new friends and eats some of his favorite meals along the way. Will Sammy Bear make it home with his lost tail? At the end of the story are a few of Sammy's favorite bug recipes. Enjoy them with mom and dad or fool your friends with some delicious, creepy, bug recipes.

The Wickware Sagas

Strange things happen in Miss Wickware’s seventh grade history class. Lights flash, electricity zaps throughout the classroom, radio turns on by itself! But the most puzzling is that some of the students are transported back in time and come face to face with the person or subject that they are to do a report on. When asked about these happenings, students just aren’t talking. Word on the street points to old lady Wickware, herself. Is magic involved? Is she a witch? Alien? Or just an old lady who is passionate about history? As I said, nobody’s talking.

Riches to Rags, Book 5 of the Wickware Sagas

Dylan Jones, seventh grader at Langdon Middle School lives the good life. His family has money. He gets most everything he wants. Even so, everybody likes Dylan ’cause he is a happy go lucky kid. Miss Wickware, his seventh grade history teacher, tells the class they will be studying the United States in the late 1800 for the next few weeks. Everybody will be expected to present an oral report on a subject that is drawn from a box. Dylan draws The Orphan Train. A penniless Dylan finds himself at the train station in New York in 1875 and he is as scared and unsure as the children getting ready to ride the Orphan Train. How will Dylan make it when money is nowhere to be found?

Bumped Back In Time, Book 4 of the Wickware Sagas

Sammy Brown, winner of the first junior sailing regatta for kids, ages twelve to fourteen, is walking on air Tuesday, after being absent the previous day, due to the race. Miss Wickware, her history teacher, asks Sammy to stay after class because she needs to draw a subject out of a box and give an oral report on the drawn subject. “UHG” History and Sammy are not friends, but her good mood won’t be dampened until a fall and a bump on the head sends her back to 1814. It’s her expertise in sailing that allows Francis Scott Key to rescue an imprisoned friend from a British ship that leads to a historic battle and a famous poem!

Flash to the Past, Book 3 of the Wickware Sagas

Snooty, popular, Kristy Sawyer and nerdy brainiac, Larry Peables find themselves back in the 18 Century and meet a Revolutionary War heroine, and take part in a famous battle!

Ride of a Lifetime, Book 2 of the Wickware Sagas

Seventh grader and school bully, Jim Abernathy, is less than thrilled when he draws a boring girl to do a report on. He quickly learns a touch of humility when he storms out of his history class and into 18th Century, New York, where he meets up with Sybil Ludington. She shows him exactly what bravery is!

Billy Cooper's Awesome Nightmare

Billy finds out, on a Friday afternoon, that an oral report will be due on Monday, on the subject he draws from a box. Who the heck is William Tell? He figures he will do a quick computer search on this guy and will breeze through on this assignment. All that changes when Billy meets 14th century William Tell face to face!

The Wickware Sagas

Kids of today find themselves back in time, face to face, with historical heroes

The Bearded Dude in the Puzzle

An ancient puzzle is found while cleaning an old home. As the Taylor family works on the puzzle, strange things start to happen. An evil presence is making its way to the Taylor house, intent on making sure that puzzle never gets put together, no matter the cost, and it’s up to Bobby and Andrea to make sure that it does!

Hike Up Devil's Mountain

Three boys only hope is the witch that lives on Devil's Mountain

Hike Up Devil's Mountain

When the school bully is turned into a toad, two ten year old boys must climb Devil's Mountain to find the only person who can help them. Will they survive the trip?

A Float Down the Canal

Pam Simpson gets dumped on when her mom is called into work and she has to cancel her plans to babysit her brother and his friend. The second bomb is dropped when Pam is informed her prissy cousin is also being dropped of for Pam to entertain. The worst day of her life, turns into a day she will never forget and it all starts with a float down the canal!

50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading

I was one of the chosen!!

Followers

About Me

I worked as an elementary school secretary for twenty-one years. I retired with my wonderful husband, to a fifty-four acre ranch, which is a constant work in progress. We live on solar and wind, which has been a real adjustment! On any given evening, the stars are an awesome sight and can be seen as far as the eye can see!